ᴄʜᴀsɪɴɢ ʀᴀɪɴʙᴏᴡ

12. Deceiving a friend

 I'm yours - Isabel LaRosa 

Jimin

I wasn't in the mood of working out today. Semester exams were in two months. The time was flying by. It only seemed that we started the third year just yesterday. I stepped on the treadmill with the intention to incline-walk for twenty minutes and then move to CrossFit, but when I watched Jungkook's frame in the mirror, my eyes adhered to his reflection for a moment until I noticed he was coming in my direction. 

Only then I swung my gaze to the adjoining equipment, which was free. I could've assumed that he would occupy it, and he did. Waving at me, he smiled a little and put his sipper on the front console before his face towel. 

Where were my headphones when I needed them? Like I said, I didn't want to work out today, so I didn't bring them. They would've saved me from talking. 

I respected Taehyung's decision, but that didn't mean I was going to encourage being seen with juniors in a public gym. It was the only gym which was on the campus, and almost all the male population used it, including the teaching and helping staff. 

"How are you?" I heard his voice as he pressed the speed button '6' on his treadmill and started brisk walking. 

"Hm?" My eyes widened before I could control them and I willed my nerves to relax. Jungkook had a tendency to make me hyperaware and numb at once. Ever since that party, I've made sure to not be alone with him. I knew what he wanted, but it was not acceptable to me for obvious reasons. One, I was in a relationship with a woman. Two, Taehyung had eyes for him. I could only offer my cordiality to Jungkook as a pleasantry for being the love interest of my best friend. It felt wrong to even talk to him when Taehyung wasn't around. "I am okay. How are your studies going?"

He smiled the most engaging smile I've ever seen. Rose sometimes looked at me like that whenever she was drunk, but Jungkook appeared like he was constantly drunk whenever he smiled like that. His eyes captured mine. I was wary of my bearings, but not him. His body was as though on auto-pilot. He made it a point to not look away, as if he did, he'd suffer a stroke. "Thanks for helping me." He spoke in a grateful tone, his voice a little gravelly. 

"Sure," I pressed the '10' on my console and my legs picked up speed. "Anything for a friend of Ulrich's."

He kept his frame a little towards me for a few seconds. Had anyone been watching, it would've been noticeable. He looked at me every time like his world stopped moving. I didn't want to get captured in his trance. Not alone, and definitely not with Taehyung. 

As I took patterned breaths through my mouth while continuing to run, my heart settled into a fast rhythm. The footsteps sliding against the conveyor belt, the soft noise of the equipment, the synchronized steps of Jungkook with mine, they did something to me that I didn't want to stop first.

Thirty minutes and we were still going on. My legs were comfortable, settled into the new pace. I've been working out since the age when one was allowed in gyms. I didn't know about Jungkook though. Even if he looked fine, his shoulders were stiff and he looked as though he was putting in quite a lot of effort. I wanted to tell him to stop, but that would mean acknowledging his presence again. 

My head must have turned a little bit to watch the speed on his console. Jungkook sped up to '15' and I stumbled. 

People sprinted at this speed if they were preparing for sports or marathons, and that too, under supervision. He was essentially flying now, his feet were in the air. He would fall if I didn't stop him. And he was determined that he wasn't going to. What was he trying to achieve? One minute passed. Thirty more seconds passed. Heads whipped to watch him.